Cynthia Pittmann, PhD is a writer based in Puerto Rico who motivates people to write and live a creative connected life through sharing her own stories, poems, and photography.
"The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away." ~Pablo Picasso
ॐ

Subscribe To

BROWSE Pages

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

10 Ways to Give Writers Helpful Feedback

Identify what you want and learn how to ask for it.

Lisa:
So I was just wondering if there was one general thing that you've found
over the years to be generally true in a general way that would help
anyone in any situation? Psychiatrist:
That's a great question, yes, I would say figure out what you want and learn how to ask for it. Lisa:
OK. Those are both really hard.

The above quotations are from the movie "How Do you Know." I appreciate this movie psychiatrist's advice as it relates to writing as well. Many writers are intimidated to ask for what they need related to feedback. In fact, it is difficult to know what types of feedback will have a favorable influence on your work. Most of us have experienced that situation where a reader's feedback was tough and caused us to stop writing for a while. The best kind of feedback helps writers to move forward in a writing project. The following suggestions are given to my students so that they can benefit from and give helpful feedback on their class blog projects. They are adapted from Peter Elbow and Pat Belanof's book, Sharing and Responding. New York: Random House, 1989.

TYPES OF FEEDBACK for Blog comments:
I. No Responding: Sharing
1. Just read the blog out loud; see what the words sound like. What is your reaction? (Write this)

II. Descriptive Responding:

2. Sayback
Write back in your own words some aspect of the post. But say it more as a question--Are you saying...?
3. Pointing
Write the words or phrases that stick in your mind. Which passages/features did you like best? Don't explain why.
4. Summarizing
What is the main point? Subordinate ones?
5. What's Almost Said or Implied
Explain what is almost said, implied, or hovering around the edges. What would you like to hear more about?"
6. Center of Gravity
What is the source of energy, the focal point, the seedbed, the generative center for this piece
7. Structure
Comment on the Voice, Point of View, Attitude toward Reader, Level of Abstraction/Concreteness; Language, Diction, Syntax
8. Metaphorical Descriptions
Describe the blog in terms of weathers, clothing, colors, animals.
9. Believing and Doubting
Believe
or pretend to believe everything that was written. Offer ideas and
perceptions to help the case. Then doubt everything that was written.
Say arguments that can be made against what was written.
10. Movies of the Mind
Tell the writer what happens inside your head as you read the words in the blog.

These tips are a way to improve both the reader and writer's experience. Let me know how they work for you.

21 comments:

Very helpful tips not only to help others improve their work, but also to polish ourselves in the eye of the critic which could also help us write better works. Not only being limited to the work itself but also to those other works that may relate in a interdisciplinary way, making it more diverse.

These will definitely come in handy at the moment of giving feedback to others. I was particularly interested in #8 mainly because I have never thought of writing feedback using metaphors such as color or weather conditions. It is an interesting idea, I will make sure to try it.

PHOTOGRAPHY by Cynthia Pittmann

Facebook Badge

READERS, WELCOME TO OASIS WRITING LINK™

Receive Oasis Writing Link™ in your inbox

About Me

I am a writer of prose and poetry, life-artist, friend to humans, animals
and nature.
In the OWL blog, I post my photographs and write about living in Puerto
Rico as well as offer creative writing ideas, explore art, music,
photography and discuss books I'm reading.
I have a PhD in literature and my dissertation, "Interactive
Autobiography," focuses on developments in contemporary autobiography.
At the moment, I am working on two non-fiction writing projects.
One is a memoir about my mother, Susan Pittmann, who was murdered in a
hate crime (along with her wife Christine Puckett). The other project is
an experiential book about creative writing.
Readers who enjoy POETRY and PHOTOGRAPHY, I invite you to SUBSCRIBE to
my blog at cynthiapittmann.wordpress.com.
You are welcome to connect with me at these social networking sites:
1. INSTAGRAM
http://instagram.com/cynthiapittmann
2. TWITTER Cynthia Pittmann @oasislink
3. GOOGLE+ Cynthia Pittmann
4. BLOGGER oasiswritinglink.blogspot.com
5. TUMBLR cynthiapittmann.tumblr.com
6. PINTEREST pinterest.com/cpittmann/
ॐ

Susan Pittmann and Chris Puckett

PFLAG Straight for equality

Pittmann-Puckett Art Gallery

LGBTQ support organization: My mothers were founding members of Affirmations in Downriver Michigan

The Indelible Heart

The second novel that references Mom and her partner is published! (click to order)

Susan Pittmann (16 years old)

Mom's playful spirit is thriving on Oasis Writing Link™

Mama by Il Divo "Thank you for all that I am...I hope you are proud of me"

Invitation

I invite you to follow the hyperlinks to Brian Alexander's Pittmann Puckett Documentary (the rainbow over Michigan image) and Marianne Martin's new book, The Indelible Heart, both of these creative projects are related to the murders of my mother, Susan Pittmann and her life-partner, Christine Puckett. Supporting creators such as Brian and Marianne helps us to cultivate a more humane and loving world.

The Pittmann/Puckett Documentary

My mother square dancing in red cowboy boots. "Swing your partner 'round and 'round/ with a pocket full of rocks to keep you down."

Can we realize our connection?

Most people are on the world not in it-have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them-undiffused, separate and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate. John Muir

Compassion Opportunities

The Soaring Impulse

It has been my experience that whenever one human being reaches out to another in compassion, a bridge is built. A bridge which leads out of despair, into the light of hope and the possibility that tomorrow will hold a few less tears than yesterday.